Taylor Hicks' mystery woman revealed to be ex-Columbus broadcaster

Wednesday

May 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMJun 1, 2007 at 10:09 PM

Taylor Hicks, the American Idol winner and People magazine's “2006 Most Eligible Bachelor,” was photographed last week on a Hawaii beach with a bikini-clad blonde, now identified as Caroline Lyders, a former Columbus broadcaster.

Lyders, who is now morning anchorwoman at Milwaukee's ABC affiliate WISN, told onmilwaukee.com, the she first met Hicks when she interviewed him in March

“Taylor and I are friends,” she said, “and as a journalist I respect your asking. But beyond that, I'd rather not comment on my personal life.”

Before moving to Milwaukee in October 2004, Lyders worked as a news reporter and fill-in anchorwoman at WBNS-10TV.

She came toColumbus in 2001 after working for WBTW-TV in Florence/Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Lyders studied philosophy and music at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She also has a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.

According to her current employer, she is an accomplished pianist and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1994 All-State piano competition in Iowa.

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